[Methods of radiological bone age assessment (author's transl)]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Radiology
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Accurate bone age assessment is crucial for evaluating growth and development in children.
• Traditional methods involving multiple body parts are complex and increase radiation exposure.
• Hand and wrist radiography offers a more practical approach for routine assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy and efficiency of different bone age assessment methods.
• To highlight the advantages of using hand and wrist radiography for routine evaluations.
• To discuss the utility of established atlases and scoring systems.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on bone age assessment techniques.
• Comparison of numerical methods, age-of-appearance tables, Greulich-Pyle atlas, and Tanner-Whitehouse score system.
• Focus on methods utilizing hand and wrist radiography.

Main Results:

• Numerical methods are often inaccurate.
• "Age-of-appearance" tables are more accurate but require multiple X-rays.
• Hand and wrist methods, particularly the Greulich-Pyle atlas, are widely used and sufficient for most cases.
• The Tanner-Whitehouse score system provides detailed information and should be utilized more frequently.

Conclusions:

• Hand and wrist radiography provides a valuable and less invasive method for routine bone age assessment.
• The Greulich-Pyle atlas is effective for the majority of cases.
• The Tanner-Whitehouse score system offers enhanced detail for specific evaluations.
• Metrical methods provide supplementary data for serial examinations.